Tuesday, 2 September 2014

Party - short story

“Who is it,
Kumaran? It is now one and a half years since we came here. How is everything
with you? It must be about ten to thirteen years since you left the country,
isn’t it?”

“It is ok
Shaanthan. Now we are in Dilake and you?”

“We are at
Altona.”

“Then it is
close by. What, you seemed to have stopped with one child.”

“Yes. One
is enough. I was told that everything was cheap in this ‘Laverton market’.
However when you come here you realize that it is only a bunch of old hardware
at very awful prices. Boiled corn is priced at one for five dollars.”

“You have
to come to our place for dinner next Saturday.”

“Kumaran,
what is the hurry now for dinner? Hello Bawaani, how about next Saturday?”

“There is
no program.”

“Then we
can come Kumaran. But one thing. Do not cook too much, please.”

“Here is my
business card. My phone number and address is there.”

* * * *

“Who was that
dear? He was addressing you Shaanthan, very frequently? All those who work with
you call you ‘sir’.”

“All that
was once upon a time Bawaani. Now a days even children call their teachers by
their name. This was Kumaran, who comes from Naachchimar temple area to
the cement factory for work. A ‘clerical’ job.”

“Must we
have meals at anybody and everybody’s place?”

“What to
do? If we need a couple of friends, we have to go.”

* * * *

“Somebody is calling and hanging
up. When we say ‘hello’ there is no answer. It must be Kumaran and them.”

“Ok,
Bawaani. Why are you getting so angry for that? I am very hungry. Give
something if you have. I want to eat, rest for a while and then take a shower.”

“I did not
cook anything because we had plans to go for dinner. I gave some cereal for our
child too. I have been drinking water and only water and waiting like a camel”

“I do not
want to go hungry without having anything and be ‘waiting for food,’ instead it
would be better to have something and go. Where is our child, Bawaani?”

“She must
be playing somewhere there.”

“Ok
Bawaani. I want to tell you something. Please do not go and peep into the
Kitchen and toilet in Kumaran’s place like you do in other homes and embarrass
me. Kumaran is very clean.”

“That won’t
do. Kumaran may be clean. But it is his wife who cooks! I can’t digest my food
if the kitchen and the washroom are not clean.”

“Whatever,
I have told you. Please do not spoil our friendship.”

* * * *

“What is
this dear. It looks like a palace. Have we come to the wrong place?”

“See
whether the number is correct, Bawaani.”

“It is this
one. It is this one. We have moved three places for rent. We clean the house
once when we enter the place. Then we clean again when we leave. Hands have
worn out cleaning other people’s houses.”

“Be
patient. We have only entered the country now. We can build one new!”

“You said
he had a ‘clerical’ job there. Have they built this house with the stones they
dug over there? You and your ‘foreman’ position. I told you so many times that
we have to go abroad. This ‘foreman’ never listened.”

“Hey, look
here. There is a microphone on the wall. All what we talk is going to be heard
inside.”

“All right,
all right. Ring the bell.”

* * * *

“Come Shaanthan. Come, did you find
the place easily?”

“What’s news from our country?”

“What is there for you Kumaran. You
have bought a home and kept it nicely.”

“I cannot
tell enough to explain about the difficulties I went through to get it. This is
my wife Mahaaluxmi.”

“Hello”

“Hello, I
am Shaanthan. This is my wife Bawaani. This is our daughter Renu. You did not
come to the market the other day?”

“Oh Yes.”

“Dear, I
need to go the toilet. Ask them which side it is?”

“Wait
Bawaani. I have to go urgently before you. Oh, Kumaran, can I use your toilet
please?”

“You come
here Bawaani. I think your child has fallen asleep on your hands. Bring her
inside and put her on the bed and come. We can chat.”

“Please
show your kitchen, Mahaluxmi acca (elder sister)? Are you older or
younger to me? I think you are elder! You have something on your dress.”

“This is
it. This is it.”

“How is
your kitchen is so neat and bright.”

“This is
not the kitchen we cook in, Bawaani.”

“Then?”

“This was
built for only for showing purposes. We cook in the garage. We cook there and
bring everything here.”

“Why, Mahaaluxmi acca, so many
curries? It is so much trouble for you.”

“I cook
only on Saturday or Sunday every week, Bawaani. I pack them in small plastic
bags according to our needs and keep them in the freezer. How many times a week
do you cook?”

“Seven
times three twenty one!”

“So you are
at the seventh multiplication table yet?”

“Why are
you laughing acca? My husband wants me to cook everyday. How many times
do you cook?”

“There is
no multiplication tables. Just three times a week. How old is your child now,
Bawaani?”

“Completed
three acca. Your child is also of the same age but seems very tall. Do
you give any special food? He is very chubby and plump and looks handsome.”

“Nothing
much like that. I am tall. He (my husband) is also tall. That’s why he is also
tall. You are both short. That’s why the child is also short. If you want try
giving some extra milk. Where is your husband? It seems that he has not come
out from the toilet yet.”

“He is slow
in everything. How is your husband’s job? Does he have job satisfaction in his
work? My husband is always busy at work.”

“If you get
married to educated people this is what will happen. They will be hugging on to
their jobs.”

“Mahaaluxmi acca, how much is
your husband making in his job?”

“He would
be getting about 40-45 K.”

“What is
that K?”

“Everybody
says like that. I also wanted to say it somewhat differently and said it. Oh,
here your husband has come.”

“What
Shaanthan, it seems that you had been washing the toilet all this time.”

“You said
it right, Kumaran.”

“Come
Shaanthan. First of all let’s have some drinks. Then only the food will go
down.”

“The food
is very very appetizing, Kumaran.”

“Finally,
you have come out of the toilet somehow! I may please go to the toilet
Mahaaluxmi acca.”

* * *

“Thanks for
the meal, Kumaran. The food was very very delicious.”

“Don’t tell
me that Shaanthan. Say it to the person standing next to me here.”

“Mahaaluxmi,
the food is excellent. The rasam (spicy clear soup) is beyond any comments.
Especially the meat preparation, prawns gravy, oh dear. Please give the recipes
of those to my wife.”

“Just don’t
praise us too much. You are trying to slip away. Once we come to your place and
eat we can also come to know Bawaani’s cooking excellence too.”

“You have
to come to our place too one day, Mahaaluxmi acca. Then we want to take
leave now.”

* * *

“Hi
dear, I left the cap of our child at Mahaaluxmi acca’s place. We would
have only come a short distance. Please turn the car around.”

“You are
never satisfied if you do not leave behind something every time. Ok, let’s go
and pick it up.”

“What’s
happening, Kumaran and his wife are burning something standing in the dark. Are
they playing with some fire crackers or fire works? Our names are also being
mentioned. If we go now the matter will be upset.”

“Um, bend
down. Spit three times. She had come to ask for your salary. Where did you find
these people dear? Tomorrow you may lose your job. You also bend down once,
son.”

“Child is not
going to understand. You just do the rotation, Mahaaluxmi.”

“Spit on it
three times dear. You are chubby it seems. Tomorrow you may have diarrhea and
be on the bed.”

“Dip it and
put on the child’s tongue, Mahaa. What can I do for what his wife asked you?
Did Shaanthan ask you anything? He is only my friend. What should we be doing
with the cap of their child now?”

“Keep it
here. It could be useful to wipe the car or the stove. How to get a home loan
it seems? It is another problem for her. We can’t be telling how hard you had
to work two and three jobs with and without being able to eat.”

“Ok, come
dear, Maha.”

“I will
come in only after this evil eye ritual completely burns. See if there is any
smell coming. It is a terrible evil eye.”

* * *

“Eh, before
we could reach home after meals they are getting rid of the evil eye. What kind
of people are they? In this situation cap is a not a big deal.”

“Why dear,
you are coming empty handed? It is a ‘Pokeman’ hat, you know.”

“Pokeman? I
came to know that such ‘PokkiriMones’ – (sons of evil) exist in
the country only today Bawaani.”

“What are
you muttering?”

“Before
even we could reach back home they are burning stuff to get rid of evil eye,
dear!”

“I told you
at the beginning itself! You and your people. Dirty people. Take the car. I
have to tell you something. I would have told you first. If I had, what would
you have said that I am splitting your friendship and splitting the country.”

“Please
tell Bawaani without talking in riddles.”

“They had
bought chicken on sale - ten chickens for ten dollars on their way to Hare Rama
temple. They have cooked that spoilt chicken for us. You also boasted about the
meat preparation being excellent and came. In this situation she is putting the
food into polythene bags and pushing it into the freezer before we even finished
eating.”

“Owak…
Owak…” (throwing up sound)

“Another
thing. When I tell this I feel like throwing up too. They did not have a place
to cut the chicken they had bought. They had kept and cut it in the space
between the bathroom and toilet.”

“How did
you come to know all these, Bawaani?”

“Didn’t you
see all meat splashed like rain on to the wall?”

“Owak…”

“You took
us saying it was a party. Now we are unable to buy medicine for this vomiting.
For the vomiting if we could not consult a doctor and get a prescription, we
could have asked the pharmacist. Now the car is stinking because you threw up
in the car.”

“Be
patient, Baawani. When I am struggling, you are also adding to the misery. I am
having cramps in my tummy and throwing up.”

“Drive fast
and reach home. There is a proverb they goes like… Party or medicine. Now it is
not coming to my mind.”